Independent participatory media for Iran

The head of Iran’s Soccer Association, Ali Kaffashian, revealed on November 2 that a friendly game between Iran and the U.S. is certain to take place in March or April of 2014.

In interviews with Tehran's Sport News and On-line News, Mr. Kaffashian has promised there will be more friendly games to come in order to prepare Iran's National Team for the upcoming World Cup.

Earlier, however, Carlos Queiroz, Iran's head coach, had criticized the association, saying: "It is laughable that a team going into the World Cup has no other preparatory game in the next five months."

Kaffashian has told On-line News: "In time, these things will be solved." Further, he adds: "The plan is to send a list of our selected countries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so they can arrange the friendly games with the help of Europe, America and Africa."

On January 16, 2000, two years after the election that ushered in Mohammad Khatami's presidential victory, Iran and the U.S. faced each other in their first international friendly game in Pasadena, California, ending the game in a 1-1 tie.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Iran beat the U.S. 2-1. In addition to soccer, the two countries have recently staged friendly competitions in wrestling. Last spring, wrestlers from Iran, the U.S. and Russia competed in the United States as part of a successful promotional campaign to keep wrestling among the main disciplines of the 2020 Olympics.